How Mentors Can Help African Americans

By Dan Woog
Monster.com


When Verna Ford met with a financial services client recently, one man stood out amid the sober suits: An African American in a pink checked shirt. That might be OK in Tennessee where he works, Ford thought, but not in New York. He needs a mentor.

What a Mentor Does

A consultant with Boston-based Novations/J. Howard Associates who specializes in multicultural issues and has authored two books on mentoring, Ford knows how important the role of a mentor can be. "A good mentor wouldn't have told him not to wear that pink shirt," she says. "But she would have helped him see the implications of it."

A mentor -- the "wise counselor" in Homer's Odyssey -- "gives logic to organizational values, explains work processes, makes key introductions and teaches the unwritten rules of the game," Ford says.

Ford wishes more African Americans had mentors. "There is a worry that other people think having a mentor is an admission you need help," she says. "But a mentor can give excellent feedback [and] honest advice and open doors that might otherwise stay shut. Who wouldn't want that?"

Getting in on the Conversation

Michelle Matthews calls mentors "absolutely imperative" for African Americans. "We're not always privy to the conversations and unwritten rules of corporate America," the founder of Atlanta-based Matthews Consulting Group says. "A mentor helps maneuver through all that."

"The protocols and politics that help people get ahead are discussed around the kitchen table when parents are executives," Matthews notes. African Americans -- sometimes the first in their family to enter corporate America -- "have not always had access to those conversations," she adds.

Connie Lindsey has had several mentors. The best ones helped Lindsey, now a senior vice president with Chicago-based Northern Trust, navigate her organization, understand subtleties and gain access to new people.

As an African American, Lindsey recognizes the importance of mentors for minority professionals. "We often reach a corporate level at which there is an ‘illusion of inclusion,'" she says. "We sit at the table, but may not be privy to the side conversations." Mentors can help make sure their proteges are included.

Mentors and their protégés must understand the time investment needed to create successful mentoring relationships. For example, one executive vice president mentor spent a week taking his mentoring colleague to business meetings and social events that would otherwise have been inaccessible to him. The mentor then shadowed his colleague for a day, providing feedback to improve his organizational skills, diction and dress.

Finding Mentors

With few high-ranking African Americans or women in banking and finance, most of Lindsey's mentors have been white men. It made no sense to deny herself a seasoned mentor simply because no blacks were available, she says.

White mentors have discussed difficult issues with Lindsey, such as whether she was experiencing racism or simply misinterpreted a business setback. A mentor also helped her "navigate the nuances" of the largely white, male world of golf that is so important to building relationships in banking, she says.

"Most of the time, you're chosen to be mentored because you stand out," Lindsey says. "Most people don't get to choose their mentors."

David A. Thomas, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, calls mentors "critically important" to the positive development of African American professionals. "You have to put yourself in a position where you have high-quality interactions with potential mentors," Thomas says. "If you sit at your desk, they won't find you."

Thomas's study of executive advancement illustrated differences in the development of relationships in the careers of blacks and whites. Mentors can help African Americans find their way into the peer networks that lead to higher positions, while whites are more likely to join companies already knowing people who can help them.

As Lindsey suggests, human resources departments sometimes match up mentors and their mentoring colleagues. In addition to formal, company-specific mentoring programs, many industry organizations, such as the National Association of Black Accountants or community groups like the Georgia 100, support more informal mentoring programs.

Other mentoring resources include college and university career development offices and alumni associations or professional groups such as the National Association of Black Journalists' Career Mentoring Program.

For more information on the benefits mentors provide African Americans and tips on how to find one, see "Mentors Lead the Way to Success."

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Mentoring Tips

( Adapted from the Peer Resources Website, Coast Guard's Mentoring Manual via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Website, International Association of Black Actuaries' (IABA's) Mentorship Program Website, Quintessential Careers Website, University of Michigan Rackham School of Graduate Studies "How to Get the Mentoring You Want" Manual, 2004 )


Finding a mentor is an important step to becoming a productive, experienced asset to a prodigious company. Mentoring is not only important to the knowledge and skills that are obtained, but also for the many other aspects of professional socialization and personal support are gained. Research shows that higher productivity levels, a higher level of involvement with their departments, and greater satisfaction with their programs have resulted from mentoring. This section of the website will give you information on:

1. Teacher: As ateacher, he/she may need to teach you the skills and knowledge required to perform the job successfully. Your mentor will teach the fundamentals of the position, which requires them to first determine what knowledge, skills and abilities are necessary to successfully perform the requirements of the position. Once they have identified the requirements for the position, it is now necessary to identify what skills you already have and what needs further development.
2. Guide: As a guide, your mentor will help you navigate through the inner workings of the organization and decipher the "unwritten office rules" for you. The "unwritten rules" can include the special procedures the program(s) or customer(s) follow, the guidelines that are not always documented, and policies under consideration.
3. Counselor: The role of counselor requires the mentor to establish a trusting and open relationship. The counselor should also encourage you to develop problem-solving skills. If your mentor is a long distance one, tone of voice is important, but the following would not apply. The following non-verbal gestures can help create an acceptable comfort level:
   
   a. Eye contact
   b. Gestures (nodding, smiling, or shaking hands)
   c. Open body posture (arms at sides, leaning slightly forward)
   d. Appropriate space (standing at least one and one half feet apart from you, which varies by culture)
   
   
4. Motivator : As a motivator, the mentor should be a highly motivated individual with a thirst for success, who also generates motivation within you. They should frequently provide positive feedback during an assigned task or while you strive towards a goal. They can also be a motivation by showing support. Ways to show support include making themselves available, especially during stressful periods.
5. Sponsor : A sponsor creates opportunities for you—opportunities that may not otherwise be made available. Request that your mentor speak to people in other positions to procure projects for you.
6. Coach : As a coach, your mentor should help you overcome performance difficulties. Mentors need to give different kinds of feedback, as the situation demands. For example, for the behaviors they want to reinforce requires positive feedback; for the behaviors they wish to change requires constructive feedback. Constructive feedback involves not using labels such as "immature" or "unprofessional," not exaggerating, never being judgmental, and phrasing an issue as a statement, not a question.
7. Advisor : This role requires the mentor to help you develop professional interests and set realistic career goals. These goals should be specific, time-framed, results-oriented, relevant and reachable.
8. Referral agent : As a referral agent, your mentor should work with you to develop an action plan that outlines what knowledge, skills and abilities you need to meet you career goals.
9. Role Model : A role model is a living example of the values, ethics and professional practices of a successful person.
10. Door Opener : The role of a door opener opens up doors of opportunity. You need a chance to meet with other people to spur professional, as well as, social development.

• Show up for scheduled meetings on time.
• Meetings will be most productive when you accept responsibility for "running" the meeting. Your role is to raise the issues and questions while the professor’s role is to respond.
• For each meeting, be prepared with an agenda of topics that need to be discussed—and prioritize them so you are asking your most important questions first.

• Provide updated copies of your curriculum vitae.
• Leave clear written instructions as to when the letters are due and to whom to send them. Attach a stamped and addressed envelope for each letter. If you have several letters, create a calendar for your mentor that lists application deadlines.
• Provide a short description about the fellowship, grant or program for which you are applying, and submit these materials with enough advance time for your mentor to write a letter.

1. Mutual Interests: Faculty will want to know if you have interests similar to theirs. Share how your prior academic, professional, or personal experiences relate to their interests. Ask about their recent work and discuss with them ways in which these intersect with your interests.
2. Motivation and Direction: Faculty want motivated students who are eager to move onto the next level of their professional growth. State your goals as you see them right now. Ask about ways you can further explore these goals-what courses you should take and what projects you should link to.
3. Initiative: Be proactive. For instance, seek further conversations with faculty about issues discussed in class. Ask them for suggestions about other people and experiences that will help you develop your skills and knowledge.
4. Skills and Strengths: Show them why they should invest in you. Let them know what qualities you bring to this relationship-research or language skills, creativity, analytical techniques, computer skills, willingness to learn, enthusiasm, and commitment.